The past few days have been ones of revelation regarding the
popular fast food company of Chick-fil-A.
Before now, it was a generally open secret that Chick-fil-A was opposed
to LGBTQ rights because of the various organizations that it donated money
to. Some worked to repeal legal
protection of LGBTQ rights, and others offered and promoted psychologically
damaging reparative therapy for LGTBQ people to attempt (and fail) to change
their orientation. Recently, son of the
founder of Chick-fil-A and president of the company, Dan Cathy, said in an
interview to the Baptist Press that when it came to supporting the so-called
traditional family he was “guilty as charged.”
He later said in an interview to The Ken Coleman Show:
“I think
we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and
say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage,' and I pray
God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to
think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about,”
Dan
Cathy’s statements continue a cycle of rhetorical violence that justifies the
dehumanization of LGBTQ people. Sure,
Chick-fil-A will continue to sell their sandwiches to LGBTQ people, but they
will continue to donate money to groups that will continue the oppression of
LGBTQ people.
For over
a year now, a powder keg has been building regarding those donations. People already were committed to
boycotts. Dan Cathy’s remarks though
were the spark that set off the powder keg, and now Chick-fil-A has become a
symbol in the ongoing debate about the status of LGBTQ people in society.
In the
wake of Dan Cathy’s remarks, there has been an almost hesitant response from
people. Certainly Mike Huckabee and his
ilk continue to defend Dan Cathy’s remarks.
And though many others have openly pledged a boycott, I have also seen
responses from people who under any other circumstances would stand with
oppressed people, shy away from a confrontation with the business. Attempts are made to minimize Chick-fil-A’s
donations and their president’s statements either by stating that the amount of
money they donate to these groups is very small (except they have donates
hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars to these groups) or point to
other charitable organizations that they donate to that do not work towards the
oppression of LGBTQ people.
I do not
like this line of thinking because it appeals to a pseudo pragmatic/utilitarian
mentality that I find immoral. At best,
it attempts to white wash the donations; at worst, it attempts to legitimize it
by implicitly saying, “well, its okay that they donate to these groups because
they donate to these other groups.”
Furthermore,
in response to Dan Cathy’s statements, the mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, has
said he is going to work to push Chick-fil-A out of the city. The Alderman of the First Ward of Chicago, Joe
Moreno, also said that he would fight against Chick-fil-A’s attempt to get a
permit to open a restaurant in that part of the city, and has the support of
Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In an article on the Huffington Post, a person on their
blog crystalized the push back against the mayor of Boston’s and others
statements by saying “the state is not there to arbitrate opinions, but to
protect rights -- even rights of people we dislike.” He goes on to say “If politicians who claim
to be friends of the LGBT community want to really put it on the line, they
should help organize a picket line and be seen there as often as possible. Use
the legitimate power of boycotts instead of state power.” This all can be translated down to saying
that a community boycott is legitimate, but the state must be tolerant of
intolerant people. However, it is absurd
to ask for a group that is being discriminated and oppressed to be “tolerant”
of their oppressor. The lack of
sensitivity is overwhelming.
In
recent days, those elected officials have backed off on using state power to
limit Chick-fil-A’s growth as a company.
Here is
the problem, this is not a “First Amendment issue” or “Free speech issue,” it
extends beyond that. Dan Cathy has the
right to say what he wants, he even has the right to donate money to whomever
he wants, and the state will not stop that ability to donate. But, those donations have consequences, dire
ones, ones that we should not be willing to tolerate and respect. And it is those consequences that warrant
state action because people’s loves and lives are on the line.
Over the
past ten yeas, Chick-fil-A has donated millions of dollars to groups that
seek to deprive the rights of LGBTQ people.
This is beyond a simple matter of disagreement. For LGBTQ people, organizations like Exodus
International, the Family Research Council, the Marriage & Family
Foundation, and the Georgia Family Council are organizations that create and
maintain a climate of fear and shame for LGBTQ people. These organizations create the rhetoric that
allows for violence against LGBTQ people.
And these concerns are well founded, in the past few days, a lesbian in Nebraska
was carved with a knife, a gay man in Oklahoma was firebombed, and a girl in Kentucky
was kicked and beaten, her jaw broken, and her teeth knocked out while her
assailants allegedly hurled anti-gay slurs at her. This is not a matter of “oh well, life goes
on,” people’s lives and safety are at risk.
Furthermore,
Chick-fil-A also has a record of discrimination in its employment policies,
which it does not, or should not, have the right to do.
Upon
researching the Human Rights Campaign’s website, they have rated Chick-fil-A
Inc. with a zero in their policies and benefits. Meaning that they are actively discriminating
LGBTQ people since they provide no benefits for LGBTQ employees or their
spouses and partners, do not provide insurance coverage for a trans-persons
needs, and does not have a non-discrimination policy for sexual orientation or
gender identity. Chick-fil-A in essence,
is creating a hostile work environment, and in some cases is breaking the
law. However, since there is no Federal
Law against the discrimination of LGBTQ people, people sometimes have no
recourse because 29 states have no legal protection for LGBTQ people. So Chick-fil-A may be covered in many states
by being discriminatory, it still speaks to the greater issue of LGBTQ personhood. One should not be fired because of their
sexual orientation or gender identification; it is as simple as that.
I
support boycotting Chick-fil-A, but boycotting is not enough. Boycotting is also a means to raise awareness
so that government can step in and create a resolution to the situation. Sit-ins and boycotts were effective tools to
combat segregation in the South, but it was only with the 1964 Civil Rights Act
that segregation officially ended. This
is a fair and legitimate power of the state because it ensures a certain equity
for people that otherwise does not exist when we are allowed to let prejudices
dictate society. It is my sincere hope
that in the wake of this scandal Congress can finally pass Federal non-discrimination
legislation for LGBTQ people, that marriage equality becomes a reality, and
that we can begin to work towards a better society in which none have to live in fear about who they are.
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